Marriott board asks Trenton for $385K

Martin Griff / The Times of Trenton New Trenton Marriott at Lafayette Yard General Manager Edward Busch inspects a guest room at the hotel in Trenton on Thursday, October 6, 2011. In background is Housekeeping Supervisor Crystal Edwards.

TRENTON — The board that oversees the city-owned Trenton Marriott Wednesday refused to say why it is asking the city to give the downtown hotel, which has never made a profit for the city, an additional $385,000 to fund its operations.

Members of the Lafayette Yard Community Development Corporation voted to send Mayor Tony Mack a letter requesting the money during an emergency meeting at the hotel Wednesday afternoon.

The board discussed the need for the funds during a nearly hour-long executive session. They maintained the closed-door meeting was allowed because the topic was potential litigation, but refused to elaborate after the session.

“I really can’t go into the specifics of it at this point,” board attorney Rocky Peterson said.

“Nobody’s trying to hide anything from the public. I’m just not sure we want to get out in front of anything at this point,” chairman Cleve Christie said.

Michael McGrath, who was appointed to the board by Mack last year, cast the only vote against the motion yesterday.

“I haven’t had all my questions sufficiently answered about why this situation has arisen,” he said. “We’re definitely not flush with cash, so there may be a need, but the specifics as to why there’s an emergent need, I have serious questions about it. I tried to ask them in the meeting, but they weren’t answered to my satisfaction.”

The board will make a presentation to city council, which must approve or deny the request, on December 13.

City officials did not respond to a request for information about the request yesterday and officials from the Connecticut Waterford Hotel Group, which has managed the hotel since 2008, deferred all questions to the board.

Waterford recently named Edward Busch the hotel’s new manager, replacing Jeff Zieger, who officials said stepped down “to pursue new ventures.”

According to figures provided last month, the hotel’s occupancy rate has sunk slightly in 2011 to 55.1 percent from 55.6 percent in 2010. Under Waterford’s management agreement, the company receives a set percentage of the hotel’s revenue. Any profits generated could pay down debt from the hotel’s construction or go to the city coffers, but officials said that the facility has never earned enough to provide such profits.